Hi. My name is Steven and today is my seventeenth birthday.

In the eyes of the gaming world that makes me an official adult. I can now buy and play M-rated games without any sort of repercussion. I have been deemed worthy by right of age to be exposed to games that “may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language”. So says the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.  But they are only one small part of the gaming community in whole. What does it mean to be seventeen to the rest of the community?

To the multibillion dollar companies, I am a demographic full of profit to be easily exploited. Seventeen year old males are wild beasts that feast upon the basest of human nature: sex and violence. How else do you explain the continuation of series like Dead Or Alive or the “There’s A Solider In All Of Us” ad campaign for Call of Duty? And sadly enough, there are studies that back it up: the Entertainment Software Association reported that 20% of people who play games are boys age seventeen and younger. Another study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 97% of Americans between the ages of 12 to 17 play games and of that half the males questioned list their favorite game being rated M. A teenage boy is walking talking profit as far as they are concerned. 

To the gaming press, I am nothing if not a joke or a malcontent deserving of scorn. Countless times a given age in the teens will be thrown around as the butt of a joke. “Oh, you’re not good at Call of Duty. It’s probably those 14 year olds.” “The main reason I don’t play online is because of all the asshole 17 year olds”.  Although to be fair and accurate this type of negative spin does not always happen and there are certain publications that do very well at keeping a non-ageist view. But the verbal or written abuse is by far the more prevalent. And the opinions expressed in the gaming press only then spreads to the main press were such ideas fester and grow. Only when gamers and in particular teenaged gamers are attacked by the main press do they realize how damaging that joke is.

It is not really a pretty picture, is it? How the gaming community views a seventeen year old. Having grown up on videogames and loving every minute of it, it is hard for me not to feel abandoned or betrayed. The year I was born, 1995, was the same year the original Playstation was released. Say what you will about Sony, but there is no denying that the modern games industry was being born then. The next major step would come in 2001 when Microsoft released the original X-Box. I was entering kindergarten. Modern gaming’s Big Three would continue to grow and dominate the market from then on forward. Now the newest generation of consoles has just started with the launch of the Wii-U. I am seventeen. According to the ESRB my age makes me Mature, so why does the rest of the industry treat me like I’m not. Sex and violence sure as hell are interests of mine, but they do not define the games I play and the type of person I am. It is this type of hypocrisy that leads to misunderstandings, false assumptions and negative advertising. The gaming community has left me out in the cold.

My games of choice are ones that offer story and narrative along with gameplay. I could walk into a room and kill all the people, but without context it is just unnecessary and borderline offensive. Take for example, my favorite game of all time, the original God of War. It is by far one of the most blood-and-gore-tastic games I have ever played. But the narrative works and it delivers on a deep revenge plot that feels natural in the world of the often disturbingly violent Greek mythology. Kratos' desire for vengeance upon Aries is relatable. His love and devotion to his wife and child give him a greater depth of character then other button-mash games. I love God of War because there is so much more going on than just violence and sex*. The final moments of God of War have Kratos hugging his wife and chile. Yet, when I buy the game it just gets marked down as another teenager who bought a game of sex and violence. That could be no farther from the truth and still the negative mindset pollutes the gaming opinion of teenagers.               

So this blog is an attempt to change that. This is a place that I hope will one day set people’s opinions straight and lessen the negative image that has been placed upon seventeen year old gamers.  It is an attempt to be more than just a gamer, but to be part of the industry that I love. There are intelligent, mature ideas and opinions at the heart and in the heads of younger gamers that deserve to shared. The Age of Gaming is not an egotistical “look at me” place nor is it an angsty, angry teenage message board. I hope that by making my voice heard, the gaming community will listen. And with open arms embrace the newest age of gaming.  
   

A few things you should know about me:

·         I am a teenaged white straight male gamer. But do not let that make you think I closed minded. I support LGBT rights as strongly as I support woman’s rights. I try to keep an open mind all the time, not allowing myself to be blinded by hate or bigotry. This blog, I hope, will reflect that.

·         I live in a middle income household in suburban New Jersey. It is about as much fun as it sounds.  Because of this I have a limited monetary amount I allow myself to spend on games. I have one system (PS3), one PC and a small games collection. I do not let that limit me though as I try to constantly learn and experience new things about games and the industry.

·         I am a full time student.  Homework comes first and gaming, sadly, second. So too will this blog, if need be. Although I will try to keep it updated with new material as often as I can. I hope to go to college to study game design.

·         I live with my parents. And as much as I hate to admit it, they are exceedingly important in my life as a person and gamer. They will be mentioned in some of my writings.

Ground Rules:

·         Games are art.  No question. No doubt. There may be a million murder-fests out there but so too are there a million porn movies. Does that lower the artistic merit of movies? No it does not.  Games shall be treated in much the same way. 

·         “I may not always agree with your opinion, but I will defend until death your right to say it” (Voltaire).  Any and all comments, questions and suggestions are welcome.

·          Respect is mutual. Have some to earn some.

·         Intelligent and informed opinions will always be chosen over raving fanboy garbage.

·         If at any time you feel like I have lost the point or broken one of these rules, call me on it.

Enjoy.

*Note: This is all about and in reference to the original God of War released in 2005. I do understand that later games in the series kinda went crazy and lost the narrative focus of the first one.